For You I Will
by B of Ericaland
Summary: angsty character death


DISCLAIMER:: do not own. just borrowing for purpose of creative expression. no profit obtained.

A/N:: written for a tumblr prompt courtesy of magicmumu. it's an angsty one. i literally stayed up all night writing this and two others so all mistakes are my own. like most of my one shots, i don't think it's my best work and it didn't turn out quite exactly how I wanted, but it makes sense which is good enough to post at this point. enjoy. review.

WARNING:: character death

SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN

Regina stood on the balcony overlooking the battle below. They had come for her, as they were always destined to. The wicked were never meant to win; she was never meant to win. If only she had known that before all this, before the curse, before she'd allowed someone, two someones, actually into her heart again.

Henry, once her entire world. Her little boy. The first gift Emma Swan had ever given her, but hardly the last. He hadn't known what his belief in that book would one day lead to, what he was truly asking for when he set into motion the breaking of the Dark Curse. He had no way of knowing this day would come. Sure, even the book called for her destruction, but to know that and to understand what it meant were two very different concepts.

And Emma. To look at her, one wouldn't think much of her. She was easily passed off as a pretty face in a crowd. Had she encountered her randomly on the street, she would have passed by her with nary a second glance. While beautiful, she was hardly remarkable. Until you dug beneath the surface. She had never known anyone stronger than Emma Swan. And as she looked down to see the crowd overwhelm her guards, she knew she never would.

She turned from the balcony, willing herself to hold her head high. If she was to die today, she would be dying as a queen.

SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN

Emma stared down at the sword in her hands, the shining metal of the blade stained with the death of who knows how many. She hadn't asked for this. For some inane reason she kept repeating that to herself as if it would change anything. She hadn't asked for this, true, but destiny rarely comes because it was invited.

Just fourteen months ago, she'd led a normal, albeit ignorant, life. She'd had a steady job, a life that belonged only to herself and no one else. If she took risks, it didn't matter, because at the end of the day the only person she had to answer to was herself. She was beholden to no one. And then Henry happened.

And with him had come dragons, swords, princesses, werewolves, and evil queens. Well, truthfully, only one evil queen, but she had always been enough that there was no necessity for more than one.

She hadn't embraced her destiny at first. Her, Emma Swan, a long lost princess? This wasn't Anastasia. She had given up on finding out why she was abandoned as a kid by the time she was her son's age. She still wondered from time to time, on lonely nights when she was curled up in a corner of her flat with no one to keep her company but a bottle of Jack Daniels and her own thoughts. But she had come to terms with the fact that maybe happy endings were only for the fortunate ones. Still, she couldn't very well stick a ten year old, especially her own ten year old, on a bus and ship him back to BFE, Maine on his own.

So she'd taken the first step down the path that changed her life. That night, Emma had done the responsible thing for possible the first time in her life, therein sealing her fate as the saviour of fairytales, the White Knight of the Enchanted Forest.

She had thought her duties would end when they got back here, to this world. But they hadn't. The demand for Regina's head had been immediate. It had taken the support of Dav… of her father, to convince everyone that there should be a trial before any action was taken against the Evil Queen for her past indiscretions. Regina had been locked up, confined to a magically protected cell in the castle.

Emma had tried her best to make the imprisonment bearable, spending long hours curled up in the cell with the woman who'd raised her child. For that alone, keeping Henry safe, giving him a good life, she owed Regina more than she'd be able to repay. The brunette had gave Henry the life that he deserved, a place to call home and a mother who actually cared. She had saved him from the damage Emma would have caused had she kept him, or worse, from the system, the same system that had robbed Emma of her hope. She would never admit it to anyone, not even to the brunette herself, but she fell in love with Regina in the long hours they spent together in that cell.

It was because of that love that she'd fought so hard to earn Regina the punishment of exile. It hadn't been a popular decision; mercy for the wicked is never the easiest road, especially to their victims. But she couldn't let them hurt her. And they'd won. Regina had been exiled to her palace, magical contracts were forged to prevent her from acquiring the power to do it all again, and life settled back to normal. Or as normal as it could be under the circumstances. Emma had even allowed herself to believe it was over, that her life, her _true_ life, the life that she was always meant to lead, could finally begin. How wrong she'd been.

Her men had come to her with the rebels plans just before dawn. They planned to go after the Evil Queen. Her defences were nothing of what they'd been, not with the new restrictions. They'd been put in place to keep the rest of the Enchanted Forest safe from her, not to keep her safe from them.

It was a long ride, hours, but she'd pushed her steed mercilessly to get here. To make it before those who would harm _her_. Because saving is what a saviour is good for.

She'd beaten them, but not by much. She'd barely had enough time to rouse the guards, men either still loyal to Regina, or many loyal to herself that she'd ordered here to protect the former Queen. They'd assembled, a wall of human bodies against the coming threat. She'd stood before them, a last fearless stand against her people, to convince them that their thirst for vengeance is exactly the beginnings of the darkness that had consumed the Evil Queen herself, that had created her, all those years ago. But, as often is the case with those who've been greatly wronged, they chose to listen to their pain before their Princess.

They'd had the advantage at first, holding the crowd at the gate, not letting a soul past and into the inner courtyard. But as the time passed, so too did their fortitude. Slowly, they were pushed back, inch by inch, forced to retreat first through the outer bailey and then into the inner courtyard. Eventually, they'd been forced inside, barring the doors to keep the enemy out.

Emma glanced around at the defeated looking remnants of the guard. Where once they were a hundred strong, now some thirty remained. She had been mistaken to assume that they could handle a mob of such size. The people beyond the doors may consist mostly of angry villagers of no notable strengths, but anger and betrayal were known to make men out of mice. Revenge was a strong motivation. The guards with her had not been prepared for this, and she felt a brief pang of guilt when she realised that was her fault. She was the reason they were unprepared.

She looked to the nearest guard. "Take charge. Keep them out as long as the doors will hold."

"Where are you going?" The guard, a man at least three years her junior, looked more than slightly afraid.

She looked at the door, imagining the hate-fueled rage on its other side. "I have to go to the Queen." She took off down the long entry hall, heading for the grand staircase at its end. She heard the doors splintering behind her but she couldn't bring herself to look. She had to reach Regina.

It seemed to take forever to reach the long open corridor that led to the Queen's parlour. Regina stood regally in the centre of the room, awaiting her fate with her head held high. Even when facing death, she was not the type to let them see her fear.

Regina felt the wind leave her sails at the sight of the blonde. This woman, her battered and bruised saviour. Even with a gash across her cheek, her dress coat dirtied, her leather riding trousers ripped and sliced through in several places, she still seemed fearless. Small cuts covered her exposed skin, bruises in the places where blood didn't flow from her wounds. She favoured her right leg. The White Knight was the picture of broken. She rushed forward as if afraid the woman might fall at any moment.

Through it all, Emma managed a smile. "You're okay."

"Emma." Regina put her fingers to the gash across her cheek. "Let me heal you."

Emma shook her head, her eyes never leaving Regina's as if the brunette might disappear if she even chanced a blink. "I'm fine Regina. I'll be fine. But, they've come for you."

Regina pursed her lips in dismay. "So it would seem."

"I'm here to get you out of here. We can use the tunnels, get away."

Regina shook her head. "No."

Emma frowned. "Are you **crazy**?! They want to kill you!"

Regina sighed, her hand dropping from the blonde's cheek. "I am well aware of what they want." She stepped away. "And they shall have it. It's about time I paid for my sins, don't you agree?"

Emma shook her head frantically. "No. Don't give up yet." She grasped frantically at the Queen's upper arms. "You are not done here. Henry needs you. **I** need you. You cannot do this."

Regina put her hands to Emma's cheeks, meeting the woman's eyes. "Emma…"

The blonde grasped the woman's wrists. "You will not die today. Do you understand me? I will not let it happen." She pulled away but kept one of Regina's wrists firmly grasped within her own. She dragged her down the corridor and out the door.

Regina followed her without protest. Her end was inevitable; Emma was only prolonging what was meant to be. But she owed the blonde whatever she desired. If it was Emma's will to extend the fight against Fate, she could oblige.

SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN

They both heard the fighting before they reached the ground floor, the sound of metal kissing metal. They descended into chaos.

Emma tried to process everything she was seeing at once. Everywhere villager crossed swords with guard. The she looked around for the face of the guard she'd left in charge, finding it quickly about twenty feet away, the rest of his body another ten feet beyond that. She allowed herself a brief second of silence for the life lost before she raised her sword and rushed into the fray.

Sparks showered down around her head as her sword blocked a downward cut making an arch towards a guards head. She used the element of surprise to kick the villager in the gut, sending him sprawling backwards. Another man swung for her side. She dodged and swept his feet out from under him with the flat of her blade before moving on. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, drowning out all other sounds.

And yet, when the silent but sharp intake of breath came, it seemed to echo through her entire being. She made quick work of her current challenger and turned back for the stairs. Her movements seemed unnaturally sluggish to her panic filled mind. Somehow she had fought herself half the hall away from Regina, who had remained at the bottom of the stairs. The brunette's eyes calmly regarded Dr. Whale, or Dr. Frankenstein as was his true identity. He pointed his blade towards Regina's heart. He was yelling something, but she couldn't make out the words. She saw the corded muscles in his arms bunch up and she knew his next move before he even did.

She ran, cutting people down as she went. She could already see Frankenstein running for the former Evil Queen, Regina unflinching. She was close, so close. She slid directly in front of the brunette, her sword raised, catching the side of his neck where it met his shoulder, digging in deep.

For a brief moment, he stood, shocked. A wet gurgling sound emitted from his throat and blood bubbled from between his lips before his body fell.

Regina let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. "You did it Emma." She glance around the room. Finally, it seemed as if her guards were winning.

The blonde looked down at the blade protruding from her abdomen. It didn't hurt, not really. She had expected it would hurt more than this. But she just felt cold. She turned slowly on legs she could barely feel. Her hands grasped uselessly on the pommel of the blade, wanting to pull it out but scared of what might come of that.

Regina's eyes went wide. "No, no no no. Emma no." She reached for the blonde just as the woman's legs finally failed her and she collapsed to the ground. They fell together, Regina cradling Emma in her arms. She grabbed the pommel of the blade, beginning to withdraw it from the blonde's abdomen.

A cry rang out across the room. "Look! The Evil Queen has killed the Princess. Get her!"

Regina tossed the bloody balde aside and looked up to see a bow pointed for her heart. She looked down at the dying woman in her arms and with a wave of her hand, purple smoke enveloped them both.

The arrow sailed through the empty space where they'd just been.

SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN

They appeared in Emma's chambers in the White Palace, on her plush bed. She hadn't been sure if she'd be able to transport them so far. The magic had taken a great toll on her strength; she could feel the energy leaving her body. Ignoring her fatigue, she put her hands to Emma's wound, willing the magic from her body and into Emma's, willing the damaged tissues in the blonde's body to knit themselves back together, to heal. But her magic had its limits now and her efforts were in vain.

She sat back against the pillows, the blonde still in her lap. Emma's breathing was shallow, the blade had nicked her lung. She wouldn't be able to breathe for much longer before it collapsed and she suffocated.

"Regina."

"Shhhh darling, I'm here. Don't be afraid. I've got you. We're safe here. I'm not going anywhere."

Emma gasped deeply, sucking in air in a gravelly rumble. "Take care of Henry."

Regina pressed her lips to blonde hair. "We'll take care of him together."

Emma smiled, her own blood painting her lips in a shiny gloss of crimson. "I could… always… tell when you…" Emma's eyes slipped closed. "we're lying." She coughed only once, a gut wrenching loud thing and then, with one last desperate but futile attempt to inhale, her body went limp.

SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN

Queen Snow White found them still in the bed not long later. The brunette, even now still an enemy, cradled the lifeless body of her daughter in her arms with such reverence that there was no mistaking her grief. She stared down at the blonde as if she would somehow rise up and breath anew. In her fist was clutched the baby blanket that Emma sometimes slept with, on nights when she missed the old world.

The Queen felt her heart shatter, tears stinging her eyes as she shook her head, denying what was right in front of her. "No." The first sob came out strangled and she reached from the nearest solid thing with which to hold herself up, her hands finding support on the nearest bedpost. "**No**!"

Regina looked up as if she weren't really seeing the brunette. "Frankenstein, he…" She couldn't say it.

Snow White's entire body shook as more sobs came then.

"Snow, what's…" James entered the room, his eyes falling first on his inconsolable with and then to the two figures on the bed. His eyes locked on his daughter, staying there as his brain tried to make sense of what his eyes were seeing. He too shook his head, reaching for his wife as he refused to accept the truth.

For several moments, nothing was said. It was Snow White who composed herself first.

"You must go from this place." She looked at Regina, her face still twisted with her grief. "They will blame you for this. I will not stop them if they come for you, and she… no one is left to protect you. Leave and never return. I will not stop them, but I will give you the gift that Emma…." Another wail ripped itself from her throat. "Your freedom. She would have wanted that. Go. Go now and never return. **Live**. Make her sacrifice _mean_ something." Through her tears, Snow White's strength still shown through her eyes, and Regina saw Emma in her. "Or I will kill you myself."

Regina looked down at the blonde in her arms. She got up from the bed slowly, carefully, laying the body gently on the pillows. She leaned down and placed soft kisses, first to each eyelid and then to her lips. "For you, I will."It was a whisper against her lips, words meant for a soul that could no longer listen. She spared one last look at the royals before the purple smoke enveloped her once more and she was gone.

She appeared in the woods just beyond the castle wall. She'd need to walk for a while. Her energy wasn't such that she could use the full extent of her powers just yet. She needed to recharge first. She'd go it on foot for a while; it would give her time to clear her head and figure out where she'd go from here. She looked down at the baby blanket in her hand and brought it to her nose, inhaling a scent that was all Emma, all she had left of her saviour.

In the distance, back toward the palace, a wolf howled a mournful keen.

SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN

"Your Highness." The lead of the Prince's private guard kneeled before him.

"Arise Sir Didimus, what news have you?" Henry regarded the young man, not much older than himself, who kneeled before him.

"A messenger has arrived Sire, a woman, with news of some urgency. She wishes to speak only with you."

Henry frowned, but followed his guard from the practice yard and into the palace. A boy of sixteen now, he'd grown into quite the knight, practicing for hours a day on his combat skills. Being a knight hadn't interested him originally, he had wanted to travel, but the five years since the curse broke and brought them here had changed him. Now, it was only his goal to make _her_ proud. One day, he would be as brave as she had been.

She was waiting in the reception hall, a young woman in the roughspun of the towns. She curtsied low as they entered. "Your Highness."

"Sir Didimus said you bring news."

The woman regarded the captain of the guard.

"Leave us."

"But Sire…"

Henry held up a hand to stop his protests. "She means me no harm."

Sir Didimus gave the woman one last look before quitting the room.

The second they were alone, she smiled. "Henry."

"Grace." He returned the smile with fondness at his old friend. "What news have you?"

Grace smiled. "It is time."

SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN

They rode through the trees, navigating along a path they both knew by heart though it wasn't on any known map and not visible to the eye. He had gotten lost several times the first few trips, but now he could travel it in his sleep, so burned was it into his memory. He came as often as he could get away. He knew Snow and James, his grandparents, knew where he went when he disappeared, but they never commented on it. It was better for everyone if they pretended they didn't know.

They emerged in the clearing that housed the small cottage, dismounting.

"I'll tie up the horses. Go." Grace waved him on as she took his reins from him.

He made his way to the front of the cottage. He had been waiting over half a year for this moment, ever since she had told him the news.

He pushed the door open, listening. At first all seemed silent, but then he heard soft singing, a beautiful voice he'd heard many times in his own childhood. He walked through to the small back bed chamber, where he found his mom in her bed, looking tired but happy.

She didn't look the part of the Evil Queen any longer; she hadn't for years now. She led a simple, but happy life here in the woods. The local townspeople, after a long time spent gaining their trust, now came to her for healing and other small circumstances that required magical assistance. She looked calm, peaceful, though there was always a sadness underneath it all, always the reminder of something missing.

She cradled a bundle in her arms, wrapped in a white blanket with purple ribbon around its edges. She looked up as he entered, not pausing in the lullaby she sang for even a beat. She beckoned him closer with a finger.

Quietly, he crept over to the bed, sitting down beside her and peering into the tightly wrapped bundle. A small pale face was visible, a little curl of blonde hair peeking out across her forehead as she slept.

Regina smiled finally pausing her lullaby. "I named her after…" She traced the letters embroidered on the blanket with the tips of her fingers. "Emma." She glanced at him, the sadness there in her eyes, beneath the joy. She turned to the baby. "Emma, this is your big brother Henry." Her voice was a soft coo, something that seemed so natural despite the woman's history. But that didn't matter now. None of her past mattered, for in death, his other mother had cleansed her soul and had redeemed her of her sins.

The baby yawned and slowly opened her sleepy eyes to regard him. They were green.


End file.
